Hot off the press! Is your child or someone you know interested in attending one of the nine UC colleges in California - UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, or UC Merced? Give K-12 students a head start by reviewing these questions with them, even if they are not interested in attending a UC. The more they know now, the better prepared they will be to fill out college applications as a senior in high school. Beginning in 2016, these are the new questions:

Each question is allowed 350 words. Freshmen must answer four questions; transfer students must answer three.

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to a group’s efforts over time.

2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways; problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

6. Describe your favorite academic subject and explain how it has influenced you.

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

8. What is the one thing that you think sets you apart from other candidates applying to the University of California?Which questions resonate the most with you? I like questions 1, 2, 7, and 8. Let me know your thoughts! Please help me by spreading the word...

With recent terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, France, Brussels, Syria, Orlando, and the Philippines, global awareness is imperative. As educators and parents, we cannot expect our students and graduates to be globally competent if we do not adopt a global mindset ourselves. The best models of global competence come from those who facilitate learning. The appreciation of people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds is critical for attaining global proficiency. As a matter of fact, the strength of our nation depends on it. The extent to which we embrace knowledge, understanding, and problem solving from diverse cultures influences how effective we are at teaching global competence in our homes and schools. And the more we model, the easier it is for our students to appreciate and embrace diversity.

There is no single, perfect pathway to achieve global competence at home and school. It is more important to start a conversation than to obsess over doing it the “right way.” Start from where you are, but do not stop there. Consider your first steps as a work in progress and enjoy the learning curve. If you have already begun the process, please share your glows and grows with other parents and educators so that we can learn from each other. Leonard Nimoy reminds us that the more we share, the more we have. Join me in starting a “global” conversation by scanning this QR Code or going to the Padlet link (once you are in Padlet, double click on the wall to post a comment).

For your convenience, I would like to share 5 Simple Steps for Implementing Global Competence: 1. Start small. The worst thing you can do is overwhelm yourself by doing too much. Start with one theme or universal concept and grow from there. For example, you could base your global awareness around the topic of “toxic waste” and prompt students to collect articles, pictures, artifacts, websites, and research pertaining to that topic. The sources that students collect can be used start a conversation about the global implications of toxic waste. Supportive resources:http://thinkthriveabound.blogspot.com/p/universal-concepts.htmlhttp://envisiongifted.com/universal-themes.html

3. Utilize one or more of the “based” learning models. Although these models are well known and self-explanatory, they are underutilized in schools on a national level. Less than 10% of schools nationwide implement these models schoolwide. They represent best practices for applying 21st Century Skills and promoting global competence.

The best part about teaching global competence is the cost-effectiveness - it’s free! It does not cost anything to expose students to a global mindset. Knowledge is power only if it gets used. There are enough accessible resources (digital and print) and projects within our reach to start teaching global competence today. Why not equip students with every imaginable resource, skill, and knowledge base to better prepare them for competing, collaborating, and communicating in a global market? We need to collectively take charge and ensure that global competency, awareness, and readiness is a priority – not an option.